At the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Texas Instruments (TI) announced the launch of three new chips to enhance Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and Battery Management Systems. Despite sluggish sales of electric vehicles (EVs), the future of automobiles is electric. Car manufacturers are increasing their investments in EV research and development, shifting their focus from traditional mechanical combustion engines to electric vehicles. Today, automakers are already developing what they call Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs), which represent the next evolution in the automotive industry. In this step, software and computing technology play a crucial role in managing various vehicle systems and components. Soon, we will see a transition from internal combustion engines to electric architectures in automobiles. However, specialized silicon chips are needed to achieve the software transformation of the automotive industry. Texas Instruments is a global semiconductor company that designs, manufactures, tests, and sells analog and embedded processing chips. At the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show, they announced three chips specifically designed for the next generation of vehicles. Mark Ng, General Manager of Texas Instruments' Hybrid Electric and Electric Vehicle Division, said in an interview with AIM, "We firmly believe that as electric vehicles become more popular, especially with the requirement for most automakers to transition to fully electric models by 2030, semiconductor devices are at the core of this transformation." Internal combustion engines are primarily characterized by mechanical components. However, in hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) or electric vehicles, the content of semiconductors increases significantly because it is more software-defined. "Currently, we are focusing on Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and Battery Management Systems (BMS), which include components such as contactors and thermal fuses. Semiconductors form the core of these systems, and our mission is to empower automakers to manufacture the most advanced technological vehicles," he said. Enhancing Automation Levels The first chip announced by Texas Instruments is specifically designed to enhance ADAS technology, which plays a key role in improving road safety by incorporating features such as forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, blind spot detection, and adaptive cruise control to prevent accidents and reduce the severity of impacts. This chip, called AWR2544 by Texas Instruments, is the industry's first 77GHz millimeter-wave radar sensor chip designed for satellite radar architectures. It achieves higher levels of automation by improving sensor fusion and decision-making capabilities in ADAS. "This is a single-chip radar sensor designed for satellite architectures that can increase the vehicle's sensing range well beyond 200 meters and make decisions more accurately," said Mark Ng. In satellite architectures, radar sensors output semi-processed data to a central processor for ADAS decision-making. By using sensor fusion algorithms with 360-degree sensor coverage, higher levels of vehicle safety can be achieved. Transitioning to satellite architectures helps automakers overcome the challenges of integrating sensors and managing fragmented software in vehicles. "We are enhancing our capabilities by adding more intelligence to achieve centralized data processing. This architectural approach allows us to achieve comprehensive 360-degree coverage while advancing to higher levels of automation such as L3, L4, and L5, while reducing system complexity." He also added that radar chips currently available on the market are not optimized for satellite use. The AWR2544 chip will meet the processing requirements of this architecture, transitioning from traditional radar to satellite architectures. Enhancing Battery Management Systems In addition, as car manufacturers transition to electric vehicles, advancements in Battery Management Systems (BMS) will prove crucial. The trend towards software-defined vehicles is challenging designers to develop smarter and more advanced BMS. Texas Instruments is introducing two new highly integrated, programmable driver chips called DRV3946 and DRV3901 to meet the requirements for high-voltage circuit breaker safety and more efficient control in BMS or other powertrain systems. Mark Ng stated that DRV3946 is the industry's first fully integrated contactor driver. A contactor is an electrical switch that controls the flow of current in the battery circuit. "You don't want the battery power connected to the vehicle all day long. It is crucial to disconnect the battery in case of accidents or imminent danger. These devices are programmable, intelligent, and do not require the use of microcontroller units (MCUs)," said Mark Ng. DRV3946 is a programmable contactor driver that allows automakers to customize peak and hold settings. The chip includes diagnostic functions to monitor and report the contactor's status, enabling efficient and programmable control, aligning with the era of software-programmable devices and facilitating contactor diagnostics. On the other hand, the DRV3901 chip is a fully integrated pyrotechnic actuator driver with built-in circuits for monitoring pyrotechnic fuses and providing diagnostic information to the system's microcontroller, enabling an intelligent pyrotechnic actuator shutdown system. "DRV3901 is a similar device integrated into the battery junction box and specifically interacts with pyrotechnic fuses. This provides BMS designers with the flexibility to choose pyrotechnic fuses instead of traditional fuse systems, simplifying design complexity." First-Mover Advantage While these developments are exciting, Texas Instruments is not the only semiconductor company trying to innovate in this field. Mark Ng stated that Texas Instruments is one of the top ten semiconductor companies globally in terms of sales and is bringing its innovations to top original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) including the United States, South Korea, and Japan. "We are the first to introduce contactor drivers and pyrotechnic actuator drivers in the market, and we will continue to innovate in this field," said Mark Ng. The rapid and fascinating progress of electric vehicle technology relies on underlying silicon chips to drive these innovations. Texas Instruments aims to be at the forefront, assisting car manufacturers in a smooth transition to the future of electric vehicles.